Flangeway-rail for railroad crossings and bridges



{No Model.)

W. LAWRENCE.

PLANGEWAY RAIL FOR RAILROAD OROSSINGS AND BRIDGES.

110,399,149 Patented Mar. 5, 1889.

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QMR RWPWQ 'tional view showing the car-track rail, flange- UNITED STATES PATENT @rricn.

\VILLTAV .ln-UVRENCE, ()F WORCESTER, MASSAUIllSlClTS.

FLANGEWAY-RAIL FOR RAlLROAD CROSSINGS AND BRIDGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,149, dated March 5, 1889.

Application filed October 15, 1888.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLL-m lntwnnncn, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vorcester, in the county of Worcester and 3 State of Massachusetts, have invented certain 5 new and useful Improvements in Flangeway- Rails for Railroad Crossings and Bridges, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is a specification sul'ticientlyfull, clear, and exact to enable persons skilled in the art to which this invention appertains to make and use the same.

The objects of in present invention are to provide a rolled metal rail of peculiar construction and adapted to be used in the fiangeway of railroad crossings and bridges 'to protect the planking, prevent horses feet from becoming caught by their shoe-calks in the groove, and to form a substantial guard and channel for the car-wheel flanges that can be easily kept free from accumulation of dirt, snow, or ice. These objects lal'tain by a rail constructed as herein shown, and adapted to fit against the railroad-rail in the peculiar manner described.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a railroad-crossing, illustrating m y invention as applied to use. Fig. 2 is a view of my improved flangeway-rail; and Fig. 3 is a secway-rail, and crossingplanks in their relati vo arrangement as when laid for use.

In the drawings, A denotes my improved flangeway-rail, B indicates the car-track rail, and C the crossing-plankin g.

My tlangeway-rail made as an improved merchantable product or manufacture of 3 rolled iron or steel, in bars of convenient length for use, and is of the peculiar shape i or section shown. flat or of a Form that will give .a hearing at. the front and rear parts thereof. The l'ori ward lower part extends outward in a flange, e, for abutment against. the side of the trackrail web Z2, while above said flange the'meial is carried up in a lip, 7", having a tical front and an inclined top surface that lits against the lower angle, 71, of the track-rail head.

The rear side of the rail 1: is made straight and substantially vertical to match against and support the planks t, the metal being formed into a narrow lip, m, that extends to r The bottom surface, (I, is

Serial No. 288,112. (No niodclj a height that will be substantially level with the lap of the track-rail, and which lip is for the purpose of a flange-guard and to protect the top corner of the planking C from abrasion and wear.

letween the lips f and m the top of the rail is formed with a cavetto or semicircular channel, F, of a depth which, when the rail is placed in conjunction with the. head of the track-rail, forms a flangeway some one-half inch (more or less) greater than the depth of the car-wheel flanges and some two inches (more or less) in lateral width. The contour of the curved surface of said channel F such as to coincide with or continue the inside surface of the rail-head substantially without interruption at the junction of the lip f and rail-head at 71, my rail thus forming, when in combination with the track-rail, a clean smooth trough or flangeway, from which substances would naturally be crowded by'the action of the wheel-flanges running therethrongh, such substances being forced up and ovcrthe inclined inner surface of the lip m. It also forms a llangcway that can be easily and conveniently cleared from snow, ice, or other accumulation, and one which forms a safeguard against injury to horses by reason of their feet becoming caught by the shoe-cal ks locking between the planking an d track, or under the rail-head, as frequently occurs with ordinary crossings.

The 'l'langcway-rail is held in place by the lip j, held to the rail-head by the planking resting against the back of the rail; or, if preferred, spikes may be driven through holes formed in the bottom of the channel. The rail, when in use, is supported by suitahle blocks or chairs, .9, placed on the ties G.

If it desired to make the liaugeway-rail with less weight; of metal, it can be rolled with a groove in the straight bottom or side, as indicated by dotted line in Fig. 3.

I am aware that various forms of guards to]! the liangcways oi railway-crossings have heretofm-e been described and patented. It; will thcrelorc be understood that I do not claim, hroz'ully, the combination, with a track and crossing, of a guard for such purpose irrespective of its construction; but my invention the guard-rail of peculiar and improved shnpc, as described.

Whatl claim as of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-= 1. As an improved article of manufacture, the within-described rolled metal rail shaped 5 as shown, with the lateral flange e at its forward lower part, the lip f at the upper front corner, the upright rear edge, 0, and upward ly-extended guard-lip m, and the channel F, having the hollow rounded contour between 10 the said lips, all as shown and described.

2. The combination, with the track-rail B and crossing-plank C, of. the rolled flangeway-rail A, having the lateral projecting flange e at its forward lower part abutting WILLIAM LAWRENCE.

\Vitnesses:

CHAS. ll. BURLEIGH, ELLA P. BLENUS. 

